The Bridgeport Bluefish and the Arena at Harbor Yard are getting ready to rip stubs and sling dogs with the first tickets going on sale in the last week of this month.
The team has a new general manager and a new strategy to filling seats and signing up sponsors.
“We”™re taking a very aggressive approach this year,” said Bob Goughan, the new general manager of the Bluefish. “We”™re out there trying to get more corporate sponsors and more fans in the stands. Because we don”™t have much in advertising dollars we”™re going after groups very hard and trying to get our attendance rates up. We want to build that attendance.”
Goughan said because corporate dollars still aren”™t great the Bluefish staff has taken a strategy of approaching groups to build the attendance base. Goughan is no stranger to small advertising dollars and a long way to go; he turned dying programs into money makers in both Rochester and Colorado Springs.
“It”™s not something I”™m not used to,” he said. “We”™ve already built more than we did last year in sponsorship dollars and we have another month to go before the season starts. We”™ve had some early successes this year.”
The Bluefish will offer themselves as an affordable entertainment option. Individual ticket prices for the 2010 season are $7 for reserved seats, $9 for loge box seats, $12 for field box seats and $18 for Harbor Club seats.
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“We”™re bringing back kids-eat-free at the ballpark,” said Paul Herrmann, media relations coordinator for the team. “That was a real draw for us last year.”
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Budweiser will be sponsoring Thirsty Thursdays at the ballpark this year.
The Bluefish did well last year as an affordable alternative to bringing the family to a game in the Bronx or Boston.
“I think we became an option to a lot of people,” Herrmann said. “Instead of having to trek out to Yankee Stadium and pay $40 a ticket, $20 for parking and food as well; a family of four can come on a Monday or Tuesday and pay $10 per ticket and the kids eat free.”
Herrmann said a family”™s first trip to the stadium is the most important for the Bluefish.
“That”™s how the word spreads,” Herrmann said. “We”™re actually instituting a new season-ticket promotion this year to local businesses and civic groups called 500 for 500,” he said.
“We”™re offering our first 500 season tickets in the lower bowl level for 500 dollars a pop for local businesses.”
The Bluefish play in the Independent Atlantic League, an 8 league that stretches down to southern Maryland.
“Since we are an independent league all the players are trying to get spring training invites and invites to major league camps,” he said. “After the first round of cuts at spring training is when our roster fills out. We usually bring back about 15 to 18 players that we had on the roster last year and then we round it out with players looking for an opportunity.”
This season the Bluefish will play 70 regular season home games. A unique addition to this year”™s slate is a scheduled doubleheader on May 8 against the cross-sound rival Long Island Ducks.
